Three Years She Grew: a Bittersweet Affair with Nature
- Submitted by: colombo
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- Category: English: Poetic Works
- Date Submitted: 11/27/2013 07:02 AM
- Pages: 4
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Three Years She Grew: A Bittersweet Affair With Nature
Throughout Wordsworth’s life, he was subject to many hardships in which he had no control over. From the inability to be with his loved ones, to the abrupt deaths of his children and family, it seems like Wordsworth was constantly reminded of one’s mortality with these reoccurring tragedies. With this in mind, Wordsworth adored Nature’s peace and beauty as it provided an escape from the daily human strains as well as a place for the imagination to wander. In William Wordsworth’s “Three Years She Grew”, Wordsworth shows us his appreciation for the beauty of Nature and its ability to lead us to transcendence. However, Wordsworth’s masculine depiction of Nature as a dominant force and rival lover to his beloved, Lucy, mirrors Wordsworth’s own struggle to accept that Nature operates in a nonrational realm. Through Wordsworth’s use of conflicting and masculine diction, as well as Nature’s dominant point of view, Wordsworth’s struggle to accept this fact of Nature comes to fruition.
Nature’s dominance over the narration of “Three Years She Grew” exemplifies its power not only over Wordsworth but man in general, as Nature interjects in stanza one: “Three years she grew in sun and shower, Then Nature said, “ A lovelier flower on earth was never sown” (1-3). Wordsworth attempts to describe his beloved’s growth in natural detail when Nature abruptly takes the lead and decides to narrate how beautiful Wordsworth’s beloved grew to. Wordsworth trying to detail the beloved’s growth in natural detail, “sun and shower” depicts his reverence of Nature, but at the same time shows Nature apathy towards his emotions with its interruption, which furthers the struggle between Wordsworth and Nature. Nature continues his narration until the last stanza where he concludes:
While she and I together live
Here in this happy dell.”
Thus Nature spake—the work was done—
How soon my Lucy’s race was run!
It is only after that...
Throughout Wordsworth’s life, he was subject to many hardships in which he had no control over. From the inability to be with his loved ones, to the abrupt deaths of his children and family, it seems like Wordsworth was constantly reminded of one’s mortality with these reoccurring tragedies. With this in mind, Wordsworth adored Nature’s peace and beauty as it provided an escape from the daily human strains as well as a place for the imagination to wander. In William Wordsworth’s “Three Years She Grew”, Wordsworth shows us his appreciation for the beauty of Nature and its ability to lead us to transcendence. However, Wordsworth’s masculine depiction of Nature as a dominant force and rival lover to his beloved, Lucy, mirrors Wordsworth’s own struggle to accept that Nature operates in a nonrational realm. Through Wordsworth’s use of conflicting and masculine diction, as well as Nature’s dominant point of view, Wordsworth’s struggle to accept this fact of Nature comes to fruition.
Nature’s dominance over the narration of “Three Years She Grew” exemplifies its power not only over Wordsworth but man in general, as Nature interjects in stanza one: “Three years she grew in sun and shower, Then Nature said, “ A lovelier flower on earth was never sown” (1-3). Wordsworth attempts to describe his beloved’s growth in natural detail when Nature abruptly takes the lead and decides to narrate how beautiful Wordsworth’s beloved grew to. Wordsworth trying to detail the beloved’s growth in natural detail, “sun and shower” depicts his reverence of Nature, but at the same time shows Nature apathy towards his emotions with its interruption, which furthers the struggle between Wordsworth and Nature. Nature continues his narration until the last stanza where he concludes:
While she and I together live
Here in this happy dell.”
Thus Nature spake—the work was done—
How soon my Lucy’s race was run!
It is only after that...